i found the older Apple Remote too basic for my needs to be truly useful and a bit finicky in a way.. the new one is better but isn't really a considerable improvement.
i honestly believe there's a minimum number of buttons a purposeful AV remote should have and the new Apple one is maybe a few buttons light?
this might be a contentious suggestion as it
would require a slightly larger form factor and tbh a complete redesign of the remote layout (and add a load of buttons so Apple would never do it on asthetics alone!
) but i would add 4 "App Shortcut" buttons for the 4 apps at the top of the screen, numbered 1-4 (i only regularly use 4 tbh; Apple Music, Netflix, Amazon Prime & Disney+).
i would also add a "TV" button to take you straight to all your TV and Movie streaming Apps which would reside in a sub-screen or separate Folder and a "Music" button direct to your Music Apps.
then i would include a "Menu" button to take you straight to the Settings.
i like your suggestion of an "Info" button Mister Pupster, so i'd bung one of those in too